Bird scooters parked at the Vienna Town Green (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
A Capital Bikeshare station in Falls Church (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
With its first Capital Bikeshare stations on the way, Vienna leaders want to tackle concerns about the safety of micro-mobility devices like electric scooters and electric bikes head on.
Earlier this month, the Vienna Town Council endorsed an educational campaign recommended by the town’s Transportation Safety Commission about the laws and risks of e-scooters, e-bikes and other shared micromobility devices.
The campaign will involve the town’s public information office and police department.
The town deployed its first shared micro-mobility devices — e-scooters from the now-bankrupt company Bird — in September 2021 after Virginia lawmakers authorized localities to regulate their operations.
Shared micro-mobility devices are typically rented through an app and can only be parked in designated zones. Companies have to apply for a permit and sign an agreement before being allowed to deploy services in Vienna.
Recent concerns about riders posing risks to other road users prompted town officials to seek new actions.
“We have found that a lot of younger children, 14 or 15 years old that wouldn’t necessarily even have a license are taking these scooters and bikes down our roads and down the W&OD [Trail] at excessive speeds and sometimes without helmets,” Beth Eachus, chair of the town’s Transportation Safety Commission, told Town Council at a Feb. 2 meeting.
Councilmember Chuck Anderson supports the educational campaign and the idea of a safety course requirement for children to use shared micro-mobility devices. However, the town would need authority granted by the state to pursue a training requirement.
“The technology is changing so quickly. We started out with just scooters, and then bikes and then other things with wheels,” Anderson said. “They’re getting faster and they’re getting harder to even classify.”
Eachus also called for Mayor Linda Colbert and the town council to advocate for state legislation regulating micro-mobility devices.
One bill under consideration by the General Assembly — HB 1120 by Del. JJ Singh (D-26) — would start a working group to make recommendations for ways to improve the safety of e-bikes, e-skateboards, e-scooters and other electric-powered personal mobility devices.
HB 1120 was recommended by a committee and is being considered in the full House of Delegates. The legislation calls for a report to the House and Senate transportation committees by Nov. 1, 2026.
“There haven’t been a lot an answers out there. We’ve looked across the United States and overseas as well on how to make this safer,” Eachus said. “I think this idea of a task force might be really beneficial if they’re bringing all of the stakeholders together.”
Meanwhile, work continues to bring the first Capital Bikeshare stations to the Town of Vienna. While town officials previously anticipated an early 2026 launch, the new targeted date is early summer.
Town of Vienna spokesperson Karen Thayer said concrete pads required for three of the five stations planned in town will be installed this March. The bikeshare stations and bikes will be delivered later in the spring after the installations.
The town’s five Capital Bikeshare locations will be:
Ayr Hill Avenue NE, adjacent to the Washington & Old Dominion Trail
Vienna Community Center
Between the W&OD Trail and Navy Federal Credit Union
444 Maple Avenue West, along the Maple Avenue frontage
Patrick Street SE, near the intersection with Park Street
